Over the past several years, Sony has been busy changing the market for full-frame cameras with a series of successful compact system cameras. Still, the company has kept its APS-C alternatives intriguing and relevant.
Although the Alpha A6500 has superseded it since then, the Alpha A6300 (also known as the ILCE6300LB) is still included in the lineup of Sony’s mirrorless cameras. The recent A6500 model has been updated for performance enhancements and touchscreen control. However, the A6300 should not be overlooked because it is still a fantastic mirrorless camera and has been more reasonably priced than ever.
Its predecessor, the A6000, was a great example since it boasted an impressive feature set, performed exceptionally well, and helped the firm achieve commercial success with that model. The elements that helped make the previous model successful have been carried over to the new A6300. However, the areas in which Sony has worked to improve it should give it many additional layers of appeal to enthusiast users, regardless of whether they tend to shoot sports, video, or something else.
Sony a6300 Features
Even though it is a newly manufactured sensor, the Exmor CMOS APS-C sensor keeps the exact pixel count as the one found in the A6000. It uses copper wire in its construction, which improves both the readout speed and the amount of light that is gathered by the sensor.
Sony has also said that it can get the most out of the new sensor thanks to improvements made to the camera’s BIONZ X processing engine, emphasizing low-noise, high-resolution output in the full range of the camera’s ISO100-51,200 sensitivity span.
Sony a6300 Build Quality.
First impressions are favorable about the A6300. The big rubberized grip, the body’s depth, and the raised edge on the thumb rest makes this camera simpler to grasp than many other cameras of a similar design. The body also seems to achieve the proper balance between having enough controls that are rationally positioned and without trying to pack these controls onto every surface, which would cause you to push buttons accidentally. This allows for an optimal user experience.
However, there were times when I thought that the grip was not lifted far enough from the front plate to make it completely comfortable all the time. This was especially true when holding the camera in between photos.
I discovered that my fingertips were frequently compressed against the front plate. As a result, I finally resorted to carrying the camera by holding it by the lens rather than the grip, with my index finger resting on the rear plate for added security.
Sony a6300 Performance
Because the viewfinder is such an essential component of the camera, it is pretty encouraging to see that Sony has updated it on the A6300, even if it was already a strong performer on the A6000. Moreover, when I held it at a distance that was comfortable for my eyes, I noticed that its eye-point was precisely where it should be for someone like me who does not use glasses.
The screen’s resolution offers excellent clarity and relatively strong contrast. Even though noise and lagging were more noticeable in darker situations, I discovered it was still fully functional.
The sensor resolution of the Sony A6300 is roughly equal to that of the A6000 at 24.2 megapixels, but the A6300’s technology has concealed other depths that were not there in the A6000. In addition, Sony accomplished the same data transmission speed utilizing smaller gauge cabling by switching out the aluminum data transfer wire surrounding each sensor photosite for an alternative made of copper.
This frees up space, which may then be used to increase the size of the photosites and their sensitivity to light, which, in turn, improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor and decreases picture noise. It is thanks to this technology that Sony was able to increase the A6300’s maximum sensor sensitivity to an impressive 51200 ISO.
When taken together, these factors result in visual Quality that is quite remarkable. While the Sony A6300 and the Canon 1300D that were also being assessed belong to quite distinct market categories, the results of our side-by-side comparison testing made it abundantly evident that APS-C picture quality has advanced significantly recent years.
Whereas the aged 18MP sensor in the Canon struggles to create acceptable low-light image quality at ISO 3200, the A6300 can produce immaculate photos at the same sensitivity with minimum grain and detail loss. Moreover, this sensitivity setting is entirely workable even though there is a minor rise in noise and a decrease in detail when using ISO 6400.
Only at an ISO setting of 12800 does the grain and detail smoothing become more pronounced, although it is not unpleasant. Due to the high amount of grain, loss of information, and limited dynamic range, ISO 25600 is essentially the ceiling for acceptable image quality. Therefore, using this setting is not recommended. Because of the distracting grain and color speckling, ISO 51200 is a setting that should be avoided if possible.
However, if you turn things down to more reasonable sensitivities, the A6300 can record an exceptional dynamic range, particularly when helped by Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimisation. The ability to reproduce colors accurately while retaining a good color vibrancy helps the overall visual attractiveness of an image; however, your camera settings allow you to customize this Quality to suit your tastes.
Our Vario-Tessar 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS test glass undoubtedly helped maximize the A6300’s capacity to resolve a remarkable level of information. Still, the detail captured will depend quite a little on your chosen lens. However, it is essential to note that the kit lens with the A6300 is the 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Power Zoom optic, which is a little less great lens. Therefore, upgrading to the A6300 body with the 16-70mm lens would cost you an additional £549 or $748 over the package price.
It is important to note that the A6300, unlike Alpha bodies such as the a7 II, does not have sensor-shift stabilization and instead depends on the more traditional lens-based optical stabilization.
Increasing the camera’s sensor sensitivity to adjust for camera shake isn’t a huge concern owing to the A6300’s decent high ISO image quality. This is true even if you don’t have an optically stabilized lens attached to the camera.
Sony a6300 Specs
| Body type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
|---|---|
| Body material | Magnesium alloy |
| Sensor | |
| Max resolution | 6000 x 4000 |
| Other resolutions | 3:2 (4240 x 2832, 3008 x 2000), 16:9 (6000 x 3376, 4240 x 2400, 3008 x 1688) |
| Image ratio w h | 3:2, 16:9 |
| Effective pixels | 24 megapixels |
| Sensor photo detectors | 25 megapixels |
| Sensor size | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) |
| Sensor type | CMOS |
| Processor | BIONZ X |
| Color space | sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Color filter array | Primary color filter |
| Image | |
| ISO | Auto, 100-25600, expandable to 51200 |
| Boosted ISO (maximum) | 51200 |
| White balance presets | 10 |
| Custom white balance | Yes |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Uncompressed format | RAW |
| JPEG quality levels | Extra fine, fine, normal |
| File format | JPEG (Exif v2.3)Raw (Sony ARW v2.3, 14-bit) |
| Optics & Focus | |
| Autofocus | Contrast Detect (sensor)Phase DetectMulti-areaCenterSelective single-pointTrackingSingleContinuousFace DetectionLive view. |
| Autofocus assist lamp | Yes |
| Digital zoom | Yes (2x-8x) |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Number of focus points | 425 |
| Lens mount | Sony E |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.5× |
| Screen/viewfinder | |
| Articulated LCD | Tilting |
| Screen size | 3″ |
| Screen dots | 921,600 |
| Touch screen | No |
| Screen type | TFT LCD |
| Live view | Yes |
| Viewfinder type | Electronic |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | 1.07× (0.71× 35mm equiv.) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,359,296 |
| Photography features | |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 sec |
| Exposure modes | AutoProgramAperture PriorityShutter PriorityManual |
| Scene modes | PortraitLandscapeMacroSports ActionSunsetNight PortraitNight SceneHandheld TwilightAnti Motion Blur |
| Built-in flash | Yes |
| Flash Range | 6.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| External flash | Yes |
| Flash modes | Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction, Hi-speed sync, Wireless. |
| Flash X sync speed | 1/160 sec |
| Drive modes | SingleContinuous (Hi+ / Hi / Mid / Low)Self-timerBracketing |
| Continuous drive | 11.0 fps |
| Self-timer | Yes |
| Metering modes | MultiCenter-weighted spot |
| Exposure compensation | ±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps) |
| AE Bracketing | ±5 (3, 5 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV, 2 EV steps) |
| WB Bracketing | Yes |
| Videography features | |
| Resolutions | 4K (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p), 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (24p) |
| Format | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264 |
| Videography notes | Supports X-AVC S up to 100 Mbps, AVCHD to 28Mbps |
| Microphone | Stereo |
| Speaker | Mono |
| Storage | |
| Storage types | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Connectivity | |
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| HDMI | Yes (micro-HDMI) |
| Microphone port | Yes |
| Headphone port | No |
| Wireless | Built-In |
| Wireless notes | 802.11b/g/n with NFC |
| Remote control | Yes (via smartphone) |
| Physical | |
| Environmentally sealed | Yes |
| Battery | Battery Pack |
| Battery description | NP-FW50 lithium-ion battery & charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) | 400 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 404 g (0.89 lb / 14.25 oz) |
| Dimensions | 120 x 67 x 49 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 1.93″) |
| Other features | |
| Orientation sensor | Yes |
| Timelapse recording | Yes (downloadable app) |
| GPS | None |
Sony a6300 Verdict
The A6300 is a versatile camera with excellent performance in various settings and boasts a solid feature set. It is a well-rounded device. It has a fantastic focusing mechanism, and its viewfinder should persuade purists that electronic systems have many advantages over mechanical ones.
